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ALBA IULIA - ROMANIA
Alba Iulia (German: Karlsburg, Hungarian:
Gyulafehérvár) is a city in Alba county, Transylvania, Romania with a
population of 66,369.
The city is historically important for both the Hungarians and Romanians.
History
The city was an important Dacian political, economic and social centre
named Apulon, and mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Ptolemy.
After the southern part of Dacia became a province of the Roman Empire,
the capital of the Dacia Apulensis district was established here, and
the city was known as Apulum. Apulum was one of the largest centers in
Roman Dacia and the seat of the XIII Gemina Legion.
In the 9th Century, the city was mentioned under the name of Balgrad ("white
citadel"), and a Byzantine source from 938 gives a detailed account of the
city called "white fort of gyula" (ie Gyulafehérvár). In 953 the gyula (chief)
of Transylvania, whose name was probably Zsombor, was baptised in
Constantinople and on his return he built a church in the city. Following
the establishment of the Transylvanian episcopacy, the first cathedral was
built in the 11th Century. The present (catholic) cathedral was built in the
12th or 13th Century. In 1442 John Hunyadi, Voivod of Transylvania, used the
citadel to make his preparations for a major battle against the Turks.
During his reign, the cathedral was enlarged and after his death he was
entombed there.
In 1541, Gyulafehérvár became the capital of the autonomous principality of
Transylvania, a status it was to retain until 1690. It was during the reign
of prince Gabriel Bethlen that the city reached a high point in its cultural
history, with the establishment of an academy. Further important milestones
in the city's development include the creation of the Batthyanaeum Library
in the 18th Century, and the arrival of the railway in the 19th Century.
Two events in particular give Alba Iulia an importance in Romanian history.
In November 1599, Michael, Voivod of Wallachia, occupied Transylvania
following his victory in the battle of Selimbar, entered Alba Iulia and
became Habsburg governor of the province, until he was killed by mercenary
troops in Basta's army. According to the Romanian interpration of history,
this event briefly unified all three historical Romanian principalities.
On December 1, 1918 a plebiscite of some tens of thousands of Romanians (the
exact number is disputed between Romanian and Hungarian historians) was held
in Alba Iulia, and chose to unite the whole of Transylvania with the Kingdom
of Romania.
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